Athens to Atlanta: Georgia Bulldogs OL Justin Shaffer Selected By Falcons in Round 6
Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot continues to build his roster piece by piece with this year's NFL Draft.
With the 190th overall pick, the Falcons address a need on the offensive line by drafting Georgia guard Justin Shaffer.
The 6-4, 330-pound guard uses his power and strength to move defenders off the line.
After earning second-team All-SEC honors and helping his Bulldogs make the CFP National Championship Game against Alabama, Shaffer now hopes to take the Falcons to the next level too. Schaffer adds to the offensive roster that has already been bolstered in the draft.
With the 8th overall selection, the Falcons took USC wideout Drake London, a sensible choice for the Falcons. Wide receiver is the biggest position of need on offense – and second-biggest on the team behind edge rusher.
Atlanta then added on defense with the No. 38 pick adding Penn State edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie. The Falcons moved up five spots (trading away their fourth-rounder, No. 114) to get him. The 6-3, 256-pound defender improved each year with the Nittany Lions, including 9.5 sacks in 2021 along with 62 tackles.
The Falcons stayed on defense at No. 58 with linebacker Troy Andersen from Montana State. Anderson is just about as versatile a defender as you can get, playing on offense and defense in college. At Montana State, he played running back, scoring 33 career touchdowns, quarterback, and then linebacker.
At No. 74, Atlanta finally addressed quarterback with Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, who makes a lot of sense based on who was left.
The biggest need the Falcons had entering the offseason was at edge rusher. At No. 82, they selected Western Kentucky linebacker DeAngelo Malone, a productive pass-rusher who had 94 tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss last season, along with nine sacks.
At No, 151, Atlanta goes back to the offense with BYU running back Tyler Allgeier. The 5-10, 224-pound back had 36 career touchdowns.
The Falcons have one more pick left to make before rounding out their 2022 draft class.
